NEW YORK, NY December 19, 2007 —The airline industry was in an Albany court yesterday trying to stop a New York "passenger bill of rights" from becoming law in two weeks.

REPORTER: The bill would require airlines to provide food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours. Queens Assemblyman Michael Gianaris says airlines have known about the problem for years.

GIANARIS: They cannot be trusted to handle this project themselves. They had the chance to do it and they didn't do it. Unfortunately, government action is necessary now to require that they do what they should be doing themselves.

REPORTER: The legislation is the first of its kind in the U.S. Airline industry lawyers told the federal judge that if the New York law is upheld then other states would follow, creating a confusing patchwork of rules. The federal judge will make a decision within a week.